Free Republic

MORONI (AFP) - A volcano overlooking the town of Moroni in the Comoros island group off East Africa started to erupt, creating a red cloud over its crater. But there was no immediate danger, said local police, who set up a special team to keep the situation under observation. "The eruption is confined to the crater and there is no lava flow," said an officer. But he warned: "There was no tremor before the eruption, and this is a cause for concern." The volcano, called Karthala, is 15 kilometres (nine miles) from Moroni, the Comoros capital situated on Grand Comoro,...

Hamas Victory Rally Erupts Into Shootout 57 minutes ago Palestinians chant Islamic slogans, as they participate in a Hamas movement rally in the southern Gaza town of Rafah, Saturday Jan. 29, 2005. The Islamic group won an overwhelming victory in local elections in 10 Gaza towns, in a setback for the Fatah Party of Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas. The Hamas victory reflected widespread support in Gaza for the movement, which provides welfare, schools and kindergartens to the impoverished residents of the territory. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra) JERUSALEM - A political rally by the militant Palestinian group Hamas turned violent Saturday, as...

Visa row erupts over trapped cavers The plight of five British military cavers and their guide trapped in a partly flooded Mexican cavern has erupted into a diplomatic controversy after the Britons apparently entered Mexico without permits or proper visas.President Vicente Fox ordered a letter of protest sent to the British government and demanded an explanation, as the Britons fumbled to explain the ill-fated expedition that left half their team trapped in the Alpazat caverns in central Puebla state. "I have instructed the Minister of Foreign Relations to take immediate action and file a note of protest, and demand a...

Debate erupts anew: Did Thera's explosion doom Minoan Crete? William J. Broad Thursday, October 23, 2003 For decades, scholars have debated whether the eruption of the Thera volcano in the Aegean more than 3,000 years ago brought about the mysterious collapse of Minoan civilization at the peak of its glory. The volcanic isle (whose remnants are known as Santorini) lay just 110 kilometers from Minoan Crete, so it seemed quite reasonable that its fury could have accounted for the fall of that celebrated people. . This idea suffered a blow in 1987 when Danish scientists studying cores from the Greenland...

Airport shuts as volcano erupts Ecuador's Reventador volcano erupted today, spewing a cloud of hot ash into the air and forcing the closure of the airport and a highway near the capital. The white ash fell like snow throughout Quito. The 11,775 feet volcano is 59 miles northeast of the capital on the eastern slope of the Andes. The eruption also threatened the Trans-Ecuadorian oil pipeline that runs close to the area. The bulk of Ecuador's oil is shipped through the pipeline from the main sites in the Amazon to the Pacific Port of Balao. "It was a very important...